Canada’s senior men’s basketball team endured a 90-minute delay at the start of the game, and then worked through a couple on-court issues of their own before dropping a 98-94 decision to Mexico on Monday in a FIBA Men’s AmeriCup Qualifier game.
Despite the loss, Canada still finished first in Pool C with a 4-2 record and punched its ticket to this summer’s AmeriCup.
Mfiondu Kabengele led the Canadian attack with 24 points and eight rebounds, while Jahvon Henry-Blair had 16 points and Isiaha Mike had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Kabengele missed both foul shots with a chance to tie the game at 96-96 with six seconds left.
Pako Cruz had a game-high 30 points for Mexico, which needed to beat Canada by at least 17 points to advance to the AmeriCup championship. Karim Rodriguez had 14 points for the hosts, while Gabriel Giron added 12.
The start of the game was delayed due to a reported “technical issue” to a shot clock. Canada led 29-26 after the first quarter but trailed 54-51 at halftime. Canada took a 71-69 lead into the final quarter.
With the loss the Canada goes 4-2 in this qualifying period, but still advances to this summer’s AmeriCup. To clinch their spot, Canada needed a win or a loss by 19 or fewer points, so their four point loss still sends them on their way to more international competition.
Given they lost by fewer than 17 points, Canada will finish these qualifying games first place in Pool C due to their home and away point differential, a ranking that will set them up for success come AmeriCup play in a few months.
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